The Flip Flop Incident
by iSmileWheniSeeYou
Summary: "Doesn't belong to me, dude. My feet are too beautiful to be contained by flippy floppies." :: Drabble


"I believe this belongs to you," face deadpanned, Xaldin displayed in his hand a single flip-flop.  
"Nope, never seen it in my life," Xigbar held his hands up and shook his head. While his face was just as blank as Xaldin's, a barely noticeable twitch of the upper lip caught his eye. The Dragoon knew there was a smile underneath that facade; one that left Xigbar red-handed.  
The Lancer allowed his knowing gaze to linger on him a moment longer. He felt like a parent waiting for their child to fess up. Of course, that wasn't all just a simple feeling. In reality, Xaldin was very much like Xigbar's parent. He couldn't count the past times he had to admonish him for his stupidity or patch him up after a particularly nasty battle that was caused by said stupidity.  
It was a role he had unintentionally taken on from the very beginning, and, if he had to be honest, he was sure he was the only one who could play the part properly.  
When Xigbar still didn't claim the shoes for his own, Xaldin sighed. He peered over the edge of the building to find the man's left foot was completely bare as it idly swung in the air.  
"Then explain why you are missing a shoe," Xaldin requested, flourishing his hand toward the barefoot and quirking a thick brow at him  
A smug smile broke out on his lips, while his eyebrows rose up in faux innocence. "I don't wear shoes, dude. You know that." The gunner abruptly flicked his right foot, sending his other flip flop sailing down. He leaned back on his hands, bringing both of his now shoe-less feet up in the air and wiggled his toes. "Nothing here but the feet of a god," he gloated.  
The sideburned man half-lidded his eyes at Xigbar's actions, a dull expression of disbelief on his features. "I hope you realize I am not getting that," he informed his friend flatly. He may have been the parent, but he was not the maid.  
Xigbar shrugged, "No eye out of my socket... Oh, wait," he clapped his hands together before throwing his head back in a cackle at his own joke.  
Xaldin closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose in agitation.  
A man-child. Xigbar was a pure man-child.  
Peeling open his eyes, the dopey grin was still on Xigbar's face. He rolled his amethyst orbs and cast a glance over the side of the building once more. He was tempted to go grab the flip-flop anyway, just so Xigbar wouldn't gripe to him about not being able to find it later.  
Scanning the ground for it, Xaldin, instead, spotted a ball of blue hair making its way past the building.  
Saix?  
Since when did he go out on evening strolls?  
Xaldin observed the VII in command, noticing his heavier footsteps even from above.  
 _'How odd.'_  
Saix usually walked with a certain grace. Sure. He looked like a stick was shoved up his rear, but he still manage to look elegant with that stick up there. As Xaldin scrutinized the strange situation more, he begin to notice the man roaming. It was clear he had no destination set because he was pacing in random circles and lines. This wasn't Saix's normal behavior...  
Then it hit him.  
Shifting his eyes up, Xaldin found the source of Saix's altered demeanor. Kingdom Hearts. It was gleaming. Xaldin squinted his eyes in response. The outrageous luminescence must have been too much for his blue haired cohort to take. He was in Berserker Mode, or at least the pre-stages of it. Saix was evidently still in control, considering he was not biting the head off a Heartless like some rabid canine.  
Xaldin was sure with just one nudge, the Berserker would hit his peak...  
 _'Hmm...'_  
The Lancer drifted his eyes over to the other flip-flop still in his hand; a small smirk played at his lips. Dare he test that hypothesis?  
Turning his gaze back to his immature friend, Xaldin exchanged a shrug with him, "Fine, I suppose you won't be needing this one, either, correct?"  
Without waiting for a reply, the bulkier man tossed the flip flop over the edge in a disregarding manner. If it didn't hit the mark, the wind wielder would just summon a gust of wind to maneuver the object correctly.  
Xigbar scoffed and waved his hand at the possession, unaffected by the loss. "Not like I can't-"  
A low, throaty growl interrupted the eye-patched man.  
Hypothesis marked as correct.  
It left Xigbar frozen in mid-sentence. He shifted his head toward the direction of the grunts. Down below, the blue haired man had paused in his steps and stared down the flip flop that had descended on his head. Even from above, the two highest ranking members could see their subordinate begin to tremble as his growls progressed in volume.  
"Who. Did. That?" the voice was distorted with very little evidence it really belonged to Saix.  
His head whipped to look up, and the man's eyes reflected off the light of the moon.  
"Xigbar! Is that you?!"  
Xigbar's face gradually lost its snarky disposition and being substituted with shock.  
A deer in headlights.  
"I hope you do not rely to heavily on that other eye, Number II!"  
Xigbar very seldom felt threatened by anyone, let alone the neophytes. But, even he would admit Saix's Berserker Mode put him on edge.  
Xaldin, on the other hand, kept his mischievous smirk plastered to his face in triumph.  
"Well, I have a report to attend to, so this is where I take my leave," Xaldin spoke casually, smacking a hand down on his friend's tensed up back. The scarfaced man pulled himself out of his fearful stupor and flicked his eye up at Xaldin's retreating form. A flash of anger swept through his features. He swung his legs over the edge and shot up, "Did you plan that?! You did!"  
He clenched his fist, lowering his eyebrows.  
"Goodbye, Xigbar," Xaldin replied with no hint of remorse, wiggling his fingers at him as he disappeared into the corridor. As the corridor exit faded out, Xaldin caught his friend's final words:  
"ARGH!"  
"H-Hey there, buddy," Xigbar's voice was trembling. Xaldin could only imagine the way his face must look now.  
"NUMBER II, YOU ARE GOING TO WISH XEMNAS HAD TURNED YOU INTO A DUSK WHEN I AM THROUGH WITH YOU!"  
"Whoa, wait, stop! It wasn't me, dude! It was Xaldin's fault! What are you doing?! No, that doesn't go there!"  
Xaldin smiled to himself pleasantly. He'd play caregiver to Xigbar later that night and clean him up, but for now, he was just going to let him get what he probably deserved.


End file.
